Mold and molding process



july 19, 1949. J, SCHUMANN 2,476,631

MOLD AND MOLDING PROCESS Filed Nv. 1, 194s ATTORN EYS Patented July 19, '1.949

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MOLD AND MOLDING PROCESS Johannes Schumann, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application November 1, 1946, Serial No. 707,209

8 Claims. 1

rIhis invention relates to molds and molding processes.

T t is among the objects of the invention: to provide an improved molding process; to provide an improved mold; to. provide a molding method and apparatus which is cheaper and more adaptable to molding from originals of varied and different contours than the prior art; to provide a molding process by which an original article having undercuts canbe easily and quickly reproduced in plaster or the like; to provide a mold for reproducing an original which comprises a two-part mold of which one is superposed upon and removable from the other; to provide without apparatus a soft resilient mold by which reproductions of an original can be easilyT and quickly accomplished without destroying the mold so that repetition of the reproduction is possible in an elongated series; to provide an inner soit and resilient mold and an outer rigidifying mold arranged to be separated in order to facilitate removal of the reproduction; to provide a mold with a rupturing element to facilitate stripping the mold from the original object and which is arranged to be reassembled with a replacement rupturing element to facilitate removal of the molded reproduction; to vprovide a mold by which a unitary reproduction of an original can be cast that by ordinary methods and apparatus would reduire molding in a plurality of separate components for ultimate superposed association in the complete unit; to provide a molding and casting process and apparatus avoiding the necessity of forming an external plaster mold about the original.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the description proceeds.

In carrying out the invention in a preferred em'- bodiment, a soft inner mold is shaped and formed about the original using latex as a coating or saturation of iibrous material, such as upholstery batting, cotton, or wool batting, monks cloth or the like, and this shaping is accomplished by manipulations and dried until the latex has set, and in simple forms of small originals the inner mold thus formed is simply peeled by flexing from the original and forms a hollow mold into which plaster or the like ispoured to form a reproduction ofthe original. The inner mold is then peeled by flexing from the reproduction and further casts are made from the same mold by repetitions of the process until an entire series is formed. The resilience ci the reinforced inner mold facilitates this operationand is suchas to cause the inner mold to return to itsoriginal size and shape after such peeling as has been described. When the original is morecomplex and is either of appreciable size cr of appreciable mass vand possessed of undercuts or they like, the procedure is somewhat different in one or two regards. With such more complex shapes and sizes, a cord or the likerrupturing element is first laid longitudinally or laterally along part at least of one side of the original extending at least across the undercuts and in the usual case from the lower end to substantially the center of the top, and the 'inner mold of the latex and fibrous material is shaped and set over the original, and includesfthe vrupturing element between portions of the inner mold, leaving at least one end of the cord free for future manipulations. After the inner mold has thus been shaped and formed and has set, the entire assembly of inner m'old and the original is covered with a layer of cheesecloth or analogous loosely woven and thin material and dipped into or otherwise coated with parafl'in or the like in a relatively thin coating, which imparts as an outer mold element a certain degree of rigidication to the assembly when suflielently cooled at room temperature or lower. Then the free end of the rupturing cord is pulled laterally of the assembly from its position in the layer and is torn from the assembly andin so doing cuts or severs both the inner and the outer molds, This cord may be reused as later recited, or can be discarded. AThe ruptured mold, being open along one side, is then peeled from the original by suitable flexings and manipulations and the original removed. The empty Ymold assembly of the soft inner mold and the thin outer stiffening reinforcing mold is then brought back into its original shape with a new or the reused cord lying between the abutting edges formed by the initial rupture, which is then also formed as part of the inner contour or surface of the inner mold by adding liquid latex` or the like to the cord and the contiguous relatively irregular edges of the rupturedv moldV assembly. After this has become a unitary assembly, with both ends of the inserted cord preferably extending 4beyond the eX- ternal surfaces ofthe assembly, the restored empty mold is dipped into or otherwise coated with a relatively thick additionalparain coating and the entire assembly is then placed in a chilling unit to harden the paraiin and to rigidify the entire hollow assembly. After the empty unit has been thoroughly chilled and the paraffin well hardened, the empty m'old assembly is inverted so that the open lower end becomes a pouring opening into which plastic plaster, wax, or other hardenablematerial is poured. Depending somewhat upon the size and proportions of the original, the rigidifying outer mold of the parain and cheesecloth enclosing the inner mold may be iirst packed in cracked ice, chilled soap solution, chilled sand, or the like, to maintain the hardened condition of the paraiin during the molding operation of casting the plastic therein. In some cases the mold is permitted to sink into the chilled soap solution as a displacement function of the pouring of the' castingimelteral. The latex and ber composition of the soft and resilient inner mold forms a thermal insulating composition to minimize heat transfer from the plaster of Paris mixture or the like being poured into the open mouth of the mold assembly, which in thenormal course of small units is suficient to enable maintenance of the rigidity of the assembly bythe retention of the paraiiin hardness until the plaster has set. With the larger pieces this, as noted, is augmented by the surroundingcfflll incident on the paraffin. After thefrepr"duolo'nofthe original in the mol'dl/ias- 'stf'thefotfr ol'd comprised of the parain and che" ifpped from the soft innerinold", then t tedrip cord is torn out from thein'nei mold to. form the separation in the mol'dt'eiiable" IVe 'ii-incr moldto be stripped oi" peeled' from Vtliefr duction. The empty soft inn'er mol t emairiin'gv may then be completed byil'riew insertidnof 5a rip cord, sealed with;iststifornraeibs d inner4` mold una, purmoms Figl 2. represents a transverse vertical section through'. the "or'i'g al lanci thesuperposed layers, shvviigth pbri, fftheparts including the riptu'rin'gfcorda erthezbeginning of the ruptulfgstpbyf th A(i'Ilfllliilrl Which the mold can bestrippedfimtl'ie original'.

` Fig''B'L represents 'a fragmentary enlarged section of th Afassen ,ly..oi'..ZEigf.`2' taken on the line 3. .3.flher`q.fl

' ligtirepesents a,fragm'entaryperspective view of theorigi'nfal unit withll thesuperposed layers of the two-pieie'lmoldfin it ondition following completion of thevrupture indicated in Fig. 2 as havmg justbegnvl. .Y s

V5y represents asi'ragmentary perspective of tw@ Dol-tions ofthe once ruptured assembled inner flexible. mold` andy trgthi'n rigidifying mold, showinga rupturltig ccrfdV orthread laid between thefruptuited'edge's. 'thereof preparatory to adhesion therein bia latex coating, as a preliminary'to ultimate re-Iflilture.

Fig., 6'..repres`e`r1ts the assembled. hollow mold formed ofthe inner andouter separable mold portions' Withv the thread inlaid as indicated in the prelimlnarystep Shown i-nFig. 5', ready for castingajreprodution;

`Fig."7` representsa fragmentary transverse section through .the 'empty as's'ernbledmold taken on une 1 1iof einer Fig. 8 represents a transverse vertical section of the assembled inner and outer mold encased in chilled sand, chopped ice, or the like, during the pouring of the plastic material to form the ultimate reproduction.

Fig. 9 represents a vertical transverse section through the nished poured mold assembly or Fig. 8, showing the beginning of the stripping of the outer rigidiiying mold from the soft resilient inner mold` to indicate the mamies1 thereof, and the beginningioii the strippingv of' the soft inner resilient mold from the reproduction unit according to the manner, but not necessarily the timing thereof, as preferably the outer rigidifying mold layer will be completely stripped from the soft iiexible inner mold before the latter is removed from the mcldedreproduction after severance or rupture of both by removal of the inlaid rupturing cord shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 10 represents a modied form of mold in transverse Vertical section, in which the inner soft mold is formed over a suiiiciently small/original as to be capable of being stripped or peeled therefrom without rupture and vviljllioui)` any outer rigidifying' mold.l

Fig. ll shows. a view similar: to that, of Fig.4 10', in whichY the iiexible inner mold after being stripped from the originalhasreceiveda plastic material which. has solidied' to form a reproduction, with the start of stripping of" they exible inner mold from the reproduction.

Fig. i9 represents a` fragmentary transverse section through a preliminary'ajssembly of the soit inner mold to receive a glaze in order to smooth out somewhat the external roughness that may attach to an original having a rougher surviace than is desired in the reproductions.

Fig. 1.3 represents a. fragmentary transverse section of the preliminary treated soft inner mold layer oi Fig. 12, as appl'iedjto an original having a superficial surface which is rougher than is desired in the reproductions.

Fig. 14 represents a fragmentary. transverse section through a preliminary, assembly of the soft inner mold to receiveV apreliminary internal roughness to reducer the smoothness that may attach toa too smootl'iv original.`

Fig. l5 represents-a fragmentary enlargedA section through thep'rellminariiy. treated inner mold material of Fig. 14, asapplied to, an. original having a smooth surface which is desired to be m'ade rougher in the finished' reproduction. y

Referring to Fig. 1 andl its related figures, there is shown a fanciful` original' .vclhiciritisy desired to reproduce With a number of reproductions formed of plasterorthe likeeandy obviously this is of the most general sort, asany originalsuch as objects ofY art or asymmetricallyshaped `units, may be similarly' treated andreproduced according, tothis invention., Forpurely illustrative purposes, the original l il vWillt be considered. ashaving an enlarged generally rectangular base-portion il, ar'educed-neck portion-l2, and. an enlarged head portion-I3LA The reduced neck i2 and the enlarged head. I3' providean illustration of an undercut structure which ordinary molding processes inolextremely diiiicult.- Theoriginal lil :nay be considered. to, haveappreciable bulk so as to. warrant the various Asteps that, t arel taken in the explanationl relative` thereto,V as distinct, for instance, frornthe simple `form and -small bulk of the original lf3-shown Fig. 10j tobelater described. v

Assuming thatA the Ysuperci'al sur-face. of the original lil is the-.surfacewhichis to.be reproduced on the reproductions, and thus does not come within the purview of the portions of the invention illustrated either in Figs. 12 and 13, or Figs. 14 and 15, Wheren-a different superficial surface is to be secured from the reproduction from that possessed by the original, as Will be later explained, the soft inner mold is prepared and applied. To do that, a quantity of fibrous material such as the various types of batting already described, or monks cloth, or other loosely woven iibrous material, cut to the general shape of the original, is provided and coated with liquid latex, preferably of the synthetic type represented illustratively and purely for instance by buna rubber, and this is worked thoroughly through the fibrous material so that preferably a saturation ofthe fibrous material is attained. With a thin layer of the fibrous material suitable saturation can be obtained by simply coating one surface thereof with the latex. This material so worked and in soft and pliable semi-plastic condition is then applied to the external surfaces of the entire assembly, after rst laying in a rupture cord I5. This material is pushed manually and worked until the entire mass covers and intimately contacts with the entire external surface of the original IG, above the base end I 6 thereof. If desired, after so shaping and pushing and compressing the plastic mass about the original an additional coating of the liquid latex can be given to the external surfaces of the mass so that there is in contact with the outer surfaces of the original a rst layer of latex I'i intimately bonded with a layer or layers of brous material I8 and finished by an additional layer of latex 20. This inner mold is generically designated in its assembly as I 9. The additional layer 2U of the inner mold i9 is of dual functions in that it first increases the resilient mass for strength, and secondly it forms a -surface to which paraffin finds it difficult to adhere.

This mixture of components I'I, I8, and 20, which for all practical purposes is a single homogeneous layer I9, is permitted to solidify or set so as to retain the shape imparted to it by its contact with the original. In order to rigidify the inner resilient `soft mold I9 thus formed, it is preferred with such shapes as shown or those possessed of similar problems, to then apply a layer of cheesecloth or the like 2l free edges of which are juxtaposed to the line of the rupture cord, primarily as an aid in stripping the parafn from the mold, to which a more or less thin layer of paraffin is applied as indicated at 22. For convenience, the loosely woven layer such as cheesecloth 2l and the layer of paraffin 22 will be considered as a stiffened unitary outer mold 29. The entire assembly can then be placed in a refrigerator to expedite the hardening of the rigid external or outer mold, and after this has been accomplished, or in the absence of such additional 'hardening as attaches to lowering below room temperatures, the assembled mold is ready for stripping from the original. Tov this end the rupture cord I5 is pulled laterally with sufficient strength and for a suiiicient distance as to rupture the inner and superposed outer assembly along a portion at least of one side of the assembled mold as to include all of the undercut surfaces of the orginal. This furnishes two ruptured surfaces 23 and 24, as indicated in Fig. 4, at the margins of two assembledmold components or portions respectively 25 and 26, which are integral and contiguous with the remainder of the assembled mold. By suitably separating the edge portions 25 and 2-6 and flexing the assembled mold in its various parts as necessary,v the entire split assembled mold can be stripped from the original, during which the portions which are not actually flexed retain the rigidifying outer layer or mold formed of the thin paraffin and cheesecloth, whereas those portions which are most violently flexed may experience a certain amount of cracking and rupture and loss of rigidity of the paraiiin coating only. This does not matter very much as the main body continues to be reinforced even during the process of removing of the original from the assembly of the inner and outer mold.

Upon removal of the original from the mutilated or ruptured assembly of inner and outer molds, the juxtaposed portions 25 and 25 are pushed or naturally flexed together due to its inherent resilience into the initial form occupied by the assembled mold on the original prior to the initial rupturing, and a secondary rupture or rip cord 2l is laid between and in contact with the contiguous juxtaposed edges 23 and 24, and secured therein as a substantial continuation of the inner surfaceof the assembled mold by a suitable coating of liquid latex, which secures the cord in place and completes the mold assembly when it relatively cures or becomes set.

When the last mentioned small amount of latex has set, the preliminary stiffened inner mold (stiffened by the relatively thin coating of paraflin and cheesecloth initially applied), is dipped in or otherwise coated by a heavier layer of paraffin 2t to complete the casting mold assembly shown in Fig. 6, and in detail in the section shown in Fig. 7. In this case also any irregularity in the contour of the inner mold due to the interruption formed by the raw or ruptured edges 23 and 26 and the inlaid cord 27 is covered and the entire mold assembly formed into a rigid unit complete throughout its entire periphery. In this situation also, preferably, both free ends of the cord 27 extend from the inner mold. The empty assembly shown in Fig. 6 is then preferably placed in a refrigerator, or placed in chopped ice or the like to insure the complete hardness and rigidity of the outer mold, and thus of the rigidity of the entire mold assembly of inner and outer molds.

After the paraflin has suitably chilled, if necessary the empty mold assembly of Fig. 6 is placed in a container 3d and chilled sand, chopped ice or other chilling medium 3i is poured into the container externally of the empty mold assembly to establish a source of heat absorption in contact with the entire outer surface of the mold assembly to maintain the hardness thereof during casting. In any event, plaster of Paris, or the like, in suitable water mixture as to form a pourable plaster, as 32, is then poured into the empty mold as shown in Fig. 8, until the mold assembly is filled, and is permitted to solidify or harden in the mold assembly, in a cast reproduction 33. Owing to the density factors in certain cases, chilled soap solution is provided and the assembled empty mold oats close to the surface thereof, and the plastic mass is formed therein starting at that mold position as the weight of plaster in the mold increases the gradually lling mold assembly sinks in the chilled soap solution, to progressively apply its chilling action to the mold assembly synchronously with the disposition of and at the level of the heated material in the mold.

After the plaster of Paris or similar vcasting material has set, the rip or rupture cord 21 is 3. A mold for making casts comprising two separable parts, of which the inner mold comprises latex and fibrous latex-permeable material, and the outer mold part of which comprises parain conforming to the external contour of the inner mold.

4. The method of casting a reproduction of an original which comprises applying liquid latex to a body of latex permeable brous material, shaping the body to the contours of the original to be reproduced, substantially drying the latex in situ on the original to form a soft inner resilient mold, applying a coating of parain to the external surfaces of the inner mold, hardening same, and removing the original from the inner mold by flexing the latter.

5. The method of casting which comprises apf plying a latex-coated fibrous layer lupon and conforming it to an original, substantially drying the latex to form a soft resilient inner mold, coating the inner mold with an outer mold comprised of a relatively thin layer of paraflin, hardening the paraflin, slitting the soft inner mold and the paraiin outer mold, removing the original from the inner mold by separating the edges of the slit and flexing the inner and outer molds relative to the original, and closing the slit.

6. The method of casting which comprises saturating fibrous material with liquid latex, applying a rip cord to an edge of an original, applying the saturated fibrous material to the original and conforming it thereto including the rip cord, permitting the latex to substantially set to form a soft resilient inner mold, utilizing the rip cord to form a slit in the inner mold, separating the edges of the slit and flexing the inner mold to remove the original therefrom, closing the slit of the empty inner mold with a latex coated rip cord, and applying a thermoplastic rigidifying outer mold to the inner mold.

7. The method of casting which comprises applying liquid latex to both sides of a fibrous layer, shaping and conforming the layer to the surface of an original to enclose same except at the base of the original, permitting the latex to substantially dry to form a resilient inner mold, encasing the inner mold with loosely Woven material, coating the Woven material With a relatively thin outer rigidifying layer of paraiin, slitting the inner and outer molds, removing the original therefrom by flexing the inner mold, sealing the slit in the empty mold, applying a relatively thick coatingof paraffin to the rst layer of paran and the exposed portions of the inner mold, and hardening the cuter mold by exposing it to chilling temperature.

8. The method of forming a mold as a preliminary to casting which comprises coating soft fibrous material with latex, conforming the coated brous material to the original to be reproduced, coating the conformed material with liquid paraiiin tc form a non-frangible reinforcing layer, chilling the paran coating to render it stii, causing a slit-like opening to be formed through the fibrous material so as to form flaps capable of limited flexing, removing the original with the aid of such limited flexing and substantially restoring the unslit nature of the brous material,

JOHANNES SCHUMANN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNTED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 748,996 Spencer Jan. 5, 1904 996,783 Moreau July 4, 1911 1,902,627 Elbogen Mar. 21, 1933 2,083,484 Zampol June 8, 1937 2,172,466 Edwardes et al. Sept. 12, 1939 2,246,332 Whiteley, Jr June 17, 1941 2,251,785 Dons et al. Aug. 5, 1941 2,388,776 Wallace Nov. 13, 1945 

